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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2004-05-12, Page 9TMs HURON EXPOSITOR, NAY 10, 2004-0 Annuals create colourful hardens If you want colour in your garden and you want it fast, annuals are the answer. Annuals only grow for one year and then die, while perennials came back year after year. However, most perennials take two to three years before they hit their peak flowering stage and provide vibrant colour. Also, they tend to bloom for just a few weeks of the year. Annuals often bloom from spring until frost, trying to make as many seeds as possible for the following year. To get your garden looking great in no time, here are a few tips from Home Depot's Garden Expert, John Mansz: • Buy larger plants — the larger the plant, the more mature and ready it will be to flower • Prepare the flowerbed soil • Bad soil will halt the flowering of the best plants. Be sure to work in plenty of compost or peat moss for an excellent base. Work at least four inches of soil in a new bed and two inches in a mature bed. • Plant seeds outdoors — The risk of frost must have passed, but planting seed directly into the soil bed will spring like magic. Fast growers include cosmos, marigolds, zinnias and sunflowers. • Fertilize — Especially in areas where nutrients have been flushed out by frequent watering. Fertilizing will encourage maximum height and bloom. However, don't over fertilize — you'll encourage plants to produce more stems and less flowers. Mansz says slow release fertilizer is best in this case. • Houseplants — flowering Lawn & Garden Supplies • Lawnmowers • Trimmers • Wheelbarrows • Rakes & Shovels • Peat Moss • Fertilizer & Spreaders GAS BBQs NOW IN STOCK ...Plus a full line of accessories SEE OUR SELECTION OF BICYCLES & ACCESSORIES Check out our neer POWER ASSIST BICYCLES Novi In -Stock Check out our Home Catalogue for ideas! 'Help is close to home." AFt SILLS asy wn-w- uP at our sloe doors HOME HARDWARE 69 Main Street, Seeforth 527-1620 houseplants can make a great addition to your garden. Sink the plant, pot and all, into your garden. You should he able to pull it out at the end of the season and bring it back indoors. Some other plants that provide fast colour are: Ageratum, Begonias, Celosia, Geraniums, lobe amaran Hclitrope, Impatients, Lanata, Periwinkle, Petunias, Salvia, Scaevola, and Verbena. For more advice on indigenous plants to your area, or fast flowering and colourful gardens, visit your gardening professionals at Home Depot. By News Canada Homegrown vegetables lust seem to taste better Home grown produce just seems to taste better...and there's a reason. Corn, beans, peas, tomatoes and other vegetables taste best when they're fresh -picked. Store-bought vegetables often have to be picked days ahead of when they appear on the produce shelves, and sometimes that means they're picked a little greener, and allowed to "ripen" in transit. With your own vegetable garden, you can pick them when they're at the peak of perfection. Yum! The best vegetable gardens start with two solid foundations: good soil and a good plan. Your soil can be improved by ensuring there is good drainage, and lots of organic matter present. Compost, is one of the best soil improvers you can possibly find. If you don't have compost, try adding Green Earth® Premium Compost into the garden. Take the time to measure your garden area, and draw it out on paper. That way, when you're at the garden centre, standing in front of the seed packet display, you won't be tempted to pick and choose like you would at the salad bar. This approach is a recipe for frustration. Here are a few things to consider when laying out your garden: 1. Relate choices and number of plants to timing. A dozen heads of lettuce may not sound like a lot, but it is if they're all ready on the same day. If you need more, consider earlier and - later•mettirlttg varieties. You could also plant the same variety at one or two-week intervals. 2. Plant vegetables your family will enjoy eating. (ie. you can probably get Junior to weed the peas more easily than the turnips, if you're making the garden a family project). 3. Make sure -you allow enough room for each type of vegetable to get the Tight it needs, and grow to the full size. Once the risk of spring frost has passed, you can plant seeds or seedlings from the garden centre directly into the garden. Or if you prefer, you can start them indoors in containers and then transplant. Be sure to use a special liquid fertilizer called Wilson Transplanter with Roots if you go this route - it will reduce transplant shock and result in higher yields. Once the soil has warmed up (later in the spring) it's a good idea to mulch around the plants to conserve moisture and prevent weed growth. Use a high-quality mulch (the Hillview line of Professional mulches are great) as it will last longer and look much better than cheaper products. Once the garden is established, it will benefit from regular weeding, watering and feeding. Be sure to use a premium quality fertilizer like Plant -Prod® Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer 15-15- 30 to provide the balanced nutrition your vegetables will need. This will pay off at harvest time with greatly improved crop yield. You'll have to keep a constant watch for all kinds of pests, too. Fences will keep out the larger types. while a variety of options are available for insects. If you can, control insects by picking them off by hand or use Green Earth® Insecticidal Soap. You can also use pyrethrin-based sprays on vegetables, such as Green Earth AIM® Flower and Vegetable Spray. 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